Women's Business Centers are SBA-funded resource centers that provide free and low-cost training, mentoring, and business development services to women entrepreneurs — with a focus on economically disadvantaged women, underserved markets, and barriers unique to women-owned businesses.
Women's Business Centers (sba.gov/local-assistance/find/?type=Women%27s+Business+Center) are part of the SBA's network of resource partners operated under the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. § 7108). There are more than 130 WBCs across the U.S. and its territories, typically hosted by nonprofit organizations. They are specifically designed to level the playing field for women — particularly women of color and women with low income — in a small business ecosystem where women have historically faced greater barriers to capital, mentorship, and networks. WBC services: one-on-one business counseling (financing, business planning, government contracting), workshops and training (often multilingual, reflecting client demographics), referrals to SBA loan programs including Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) federal contracting certification, microloan programs, and CDFI lending partners. WBCs often have deep relationships with CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions) that offer microloans to women-owned businesses that don't qualify for bank financing. WOSB Federal Contracting Program: WBCs are a primary resource for navigating the WOSB set-aside program (sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs/women-owned-small-business-federal-contracting-program), which reserves certain federal contract categories for certified WOSB businesses. Certification requires a business to be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens — WBCs assist with documentation and the certification process through the SAM.gov / SBA certification portal. The SBA's Office of Women's Business Ownership (sba.gov/about-sba/sba-initiatives/office-womens-business-ownership) oversees WBC grants and sets program standards. Services range from free to $50 per workshop.
The WBC program primarily serves women entrepreneurs, but most WBCs do not turn away men. Practically, the programming, peer networks, and counselor experience are optimized for challenges women business owners face. If you're a male entrepreneur, an SBDC or SCORE may be a better fit for general advisory services.
WOSB (Women-Owned Small Business) certification is required to bid on federal contracts reserved for women-owned businesses under the SBA's WOSB Federal Contracting Program. You can apply directly at certify.sba.gov without a WBC. However, WBCs provide free guidance on documentation requirements, common application errors, and matching your NAICS codes to WOSB-eligible contract categories — reducing rejection risk significantly.
Use the SBA's local assistance finder at sba.gov/local-assistance/find/?type=Women%27s+Business+Center to search by zip code. You can also call the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800-827-5722. Many WBCs offer virtual counseling nationwide, so geographic proximity is not a hard constraint.